New anchor has arrived.

kindredspirit

kindredspirit

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 Nov 2002
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Boat: Kilrush.
www.begleys.com
These are pics of a new anchor I’ve bought recently. (Just got to work out how to install it on the bow!)

Though not readily apparent in the pic's, there are 3 flukes and the reason I bought it was, that on a change of tidal direction, it’s supposed to immediately re-set in the opposite direction without dragging or skipping.

It had been recommended on cruising sites because it apparently sets first time every time and is also quite successful in weed. It was the “immediate settability” of the anchor that appealed to me.

Our present set-up is a Delta on our bow and a Danforth as a kedge.



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My dad and me were taken round the south coast of Jersey in a 6-7 in a Targa 27, wind vs. tide - the owners insurance ran out on the summer mooring that day so it had to be moved. Didnt drop below 17 knots until we reached St Helier. I was amazed.
Im fully hooked on them now and would probably sell a kidney to own one someday.
 
These "might" be biased. But this anchor was similar to what I'd worked out in my own mind what an ideal anchor should be. I have in my mind the basics of what I think would be an ideal design (it involves triangular configuration) and one day when I have time I'll experiment with it.
 
Thats, erm, an interesting contraption. Good luck with fitting it into a bow roller. Let us know how it works
 
The Bulwagga anchor

This anchor is not really very new,

It has been developed by Peter Mele in the States..

I believe, it is one of the best available anchor now in the market..

Its main drawback is only the uggly look.. but otherwise it set very fast, including in weed.. and has one of the higgest Holding/Weight ratio.

On the "Practical Sailor" anchor tests, holding in sand, it was on the second position, just behind the Spade anchor...
 
Re: The Bulwagga anchor

I don't mind it being "ugly" but the biggest problem is how to stow it on the bow.

All suggestions gratefully received !!!

My new anchor was a toss-up between the Spade and the Bulwagga. It was the fast re-settability, at the turn of the tide, of the American one over the French one that made me go for it. Next year I'll be buying a Spade as a second anchor. I want the best anchors on my boat.
 
Re: The Bulwagga anchor

All very interesting. But I just drop my plough, where ever, and without much faffing about. Disapear to the pub and Low and behold. The boats still there when I come back. Some time I wake up next morning, and I'm still there, amazingly. But then, I've always been of the belief, that the anchor only deals with the last few feet of chain. IT's the chain that stops the boat. So any bloody thing would do really!
 
Re: The Bulwagga anchor

interesting that you focus on that point when the practical sailor test gvae the Spade an amazing 0' 0" reset against the Bull's 2'. Personally I would be happy with either in practice, especially repeated time after time - but you brought it up...........

I alos thought the comment from the Bull team ........"The 16.5 lb. aluminum Spade anchor tested is much larger in surface area and overall size than the 17.0 pound galvanized steel Bulwagga it is compared with" somewhat disingenious. Bit like Spade saying that the Bull has 3 flukes whilst they have limited their model to 1! Ignoring stowage, and accepting that it must include extremes of handling, weight is the key factor for comparison terms and it was nice to see a test that had a reasonably close range being used.

oh - and to join the subplot I too would love a Targa 27.1 please!
 
Re: The Bulwagga anchor

Hi Duncan,

Actually I didn't read the Practical Sailor article too closely.

What I based my conclusion, was on various reports on world-wide cruising forums and blogs. Anyone using the Bulwagga all seemed to say that their anchor set (and re-set) immediately. I'm based in a strongly tidal estuary and I don't want to find my little boat dragging off into the distance when the tide turns and I'm sitting in the pub or wherever. Like a lot of people I suppose, I'm a bit nervous when the boat is anchored and I'm ashore.

Oh! and I'm a Targa fan too.
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Re: The Bulwagga anchor

[ QUOTE ]
The 16.5 lb. aluminum Spade anchor tested is much larger in surface area and overall size than the 17.0 pound galvanized steel Bulwagga it is compared with"

[/ QUOTE ]

If you compare the surface of both the 16.5 lb Spade and the 17 lb Bulwagga, you will see that the Bull's comments are wrong..

As the aluminum Spade is ballasted with lead and the Bull doesn't have any ballast, and also as the "Bull" has three blades.. the total surface area of the Bull is bigger than the one of the aluminum Spade.

Then, during the PS tests, the Bull did hold 816 lbs in sand, to be compared with 1000 lbs for the Spade. BUT what Bulwagga poeple doesn't say.. is that the 1000 lbs results of the SPADE anchor was not the maximum holding of the anchor, but only the maximum limit of the testing equipment..

We are also launching a new model now at the Paris boat show:
see:
http://www.spade-anchor.com/Site%20anglais/US/rockc.htm

As this new anchor, like the Bull, doesn't have any ballast, for the same overall weight, we have been able to increase the holding surface by TWO

We don't have now any comparative study between the Bull and the new "Rock*C", but I believe at equal weight, the holding of the "Rock*C" will be much higher.. (and the price is very sweet..)
 
Re: The Bulwagga anchor

Alain - I had suspected that they meant 'effective surface area' but that would be an even more ridiculous comment in what appeared to be an attempt to explain away why the Spade outperformed!
Next they will be accusing you of cheating 'in some way' !
Good luck with your launch.
Always happy to offer my boat as a mobile test bed for an 8kg - have been using a 10 kg Delta this year after 3 years with a SS Bruce the same weight.
 
Where from?

Did you buy it through their web site, a US chandlery or a UK source?

Looks interesting. I had a spade on the last boat (with CQR as backup). Spade never dragged, CQR did a couple of times. New boat has a big Bruce and a pair of big CQRs. Might get a Bulwagga to replace the Bruce - don't like them much!

Cheers,

Jerry
 
Thanks!

Thanks for that. Guess you always need to allow for the VAT and import duty when considering such purchases. That way, its a pleasant surprise if you don't get the bill and not a nasty shock if you do!

Jerry
 
Re: The Bulwagga anchor

[ QUOTE ]
I alos thought the comment from the Bull team ........"The 16.5 lb. aluminum Spade anchor tested is much larger in surface area and overall size than the 17.0 pound galvanized steel Bulwagga it is compared with" somewhat disingenious. Bit like Spade saying that the Bull has 3 flukes whilst they have limited their model to 1! Ignoring stowage, and accepting that it must include extremes of handling, weight is the key factor for comparison terms and it was nice to see a test that had a reasonably close range being used.

[/ QUOTE ]

Duncan, their point is a little unclear, but what they are pointing out is one of the principal issues with the Practical Sailor testing. Clearly it is unfair to compare the sample anchors by weight when they are built from different materials.

For the same weight in aluminium you get a much larger anchor (obviously, as you say), but the test allocates absolutely zero weighting to the drawbacks of aluminium (primarily strength, or lack of). In your mind imagine a 16.5lb steel Spade, and then you have a fairer comparison.

So, they don't make their point very well, but they do have a valid one. Although, as Alain says, the comparison between 1000lb and 816lb holding power is a little misleading, as the 1000lb result is capped.

Don't know why I'm defending the competition. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
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